The present invention relates to breast shields, brassieres using them, and methods for using same.
Brassieres giving the breast a xe2x80x9cnaturalxe2x80x9d look are widely popular today, and have been popular with many people over the years. Such bras often are made of sheer, or even diaphanous material which sometimes can be seen through.
A problem with such bras is that often they provide excessive exposure of the shape of the breasts to others than is desired by the wearer. For example, sometimes an outline of the nipples and other parts of the breast are visible due to the characteristics of the material of the brassiere. This is considered inappropriate in many circumstances, such as in the workplace, professional and business meetings, and in many social circumstances.
Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the invention to provide a modesty shield which prevents the nipples and other parts of the breast from being visible to others, while permitting the wearing of bras made of sheer materials.
Such modesty is provided by padded brassieres. However, many people do not wish to wear padded brasseries, either because their breasts have overly ample proportions to start with, or due to other considerations. One such consideration is that padded brassieres, including those with exceptionally thick front wall portions, are often lumpy in appearance and detract from the desired smooth appearance.
Some breast covering devices are available. They adhere to the breast by means of adhesive. Some form entire cups which are attached by means of adhesive, and some take the form of relatively smaller patches which merely cover the outer end of the breast.
Although such devices can provide modesty coverage for the wearer, the requirement of the use of relatively large areas of adhesive to attach the devices is very undesirable. Special precautions are recommended by the manufacturers, such as using a special skin-preparation lotion before applying the adhesive coverings, wearing them only a very limited amount of time before removing them, and taking special precautions to remove the coverings carefully and by prelubrication with baby oil, for example, so as not to provide excessive damage to the skin. Nonetheless, the skin can be irritated and made to become very sore by the use of such devices.
Another disadvantage of such adhesive covers is that they can be used only once and then must be thrown away. This adds expense and waste.
Other modesty covers are known which comprise soft, circular cloth or felt inserts for bras. Such inserts have an extra circular layer of cloth or felt in the center to thicken the cover in the center. There also is a hole in the center of the extra layer to receive the nipple. Such inserts do not readily adapt to the specific contour of the breast of the wearer, and may give a lumpy appearance. Moreover, they can be relatively expensive to make.
Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide a breast shield and bra using such a shield and a method of providing modesty protection for the wearer in which the foregoing disadvantages are alleviated or eliminated.
In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a breast shield which is very adaptable to the specific contour of the breast of the wearer, and provides a smooth, rounded outward appearance when in use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a shield which is comfortable to wear and is difficult or impossible for others to see.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a shield, brassiere and method using same which are relatively inexpensive to make and easy to use to provide the desired modesty.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a shield which is washable and re-usable and needs no adhesive, when used with a bra or similar garment.
In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects are met by the provision of a breast shield which is concave in shape and has a readily enlargable and contractible outer periphery and an opaque central region so as to cover the nipple and at least part of the aureola of the breast, while readily conforming to the shape of the individual wearer""s breast.
It is a further feature of the invention that the expandability and contractability of the outer periphery is provided by gaps which extend at least partially radially and form the outer periphery into flexible flaps or xe2x80x9cpetalsxe2x80x9d.
It is a further feature of the shield that the central portion of the shield is relatively thicker than the outer periphery so as to minimize the visibility of the shield.
It also is a feature of the invention that the gaps are curved in shape to cause at least a portion of each gap to extend transversely across the major stress lines of the bra to further minimize visibility of the shield when in use.
In another embodiment of the invention, a soft fabric pad is located at the center of the inner wall of the shield. Preferably, the pad can be snapped into place and removed easily so that the pads can be replaced more often than the shields.
The combination of bra with a pair of shields inserted therein and worn by a person is a specific preferred embodiment of the invention.
The invention also provides a method for the wearer to assure modesty and a rounded, smooth outer appearance to the bustline by use of the shield and brassiere combination of the present invention.
If necessary or desired, a small amount of adhesive can be applied to the shield selectively by the wearer when it is desired to use the shield without a bra or similar support.
A kit is provided including one or more shields and an adhesive. The adhesive can be washed off of the shield and easily can be washed off of the skin of the wearer.
A different kit also is provided. This kit has several shields and replacement pads, with or without adhesive.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages and features of the present invention will be set forth in or will be apparent from the following description and drawings.